The NSW Police Commissioner has issued a statement on the domestic violence deaths of a family in 2018, admitting the firearm access system seriously failed to protect them.
Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) said the systems, processes and people let the children Jack and Jennifer Edwards and their mother Olga Edwards, down when they were killed by their estranged father and husband, John, in July 2018.
“We have to take responsibility for their deaths,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“John Edwards should have never got access to firearms,” he said.
“As the NSW Police Commissioner, I need to make sure that can’t happen again.”
Commissioner Fuller committed the police to reviewing the State Coroner’s findings in relation to the deaths, released earlier this month, and to consider all the recommendations directed at the police.
“We see some 150,000 victims every year come forward to report family and domestic violence,” he said.
“Half of all homicides in NSW are domestic and family violence related.”
He said the NSW Police Force had more police and more training to handle domestic and family violence than ever before.
Commissioner Fuller said the police had made significant changes to the systems and processes and the Coroner’s 15 recommendations, made primarily for Police, had been accepted and rectified.
“Since 2018, the NSW Firearms Registry has undergone an extensive restructure which has resulted in enhanced compliance and better identification of breaches of the legislation,” he said.
Commissioner Fuller said further improvements and reforms to the Registry were scheduled to be introduced throughout 2021.
